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The India Christian Mission Center (ICMC)
exists to serve India's orphans, widows, lepers
and the unreached, irrespective of caste, creed, community and
religion through the love of Jesus.
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I DARE
You to Multiply Your Dollar!
(How Kids in
Mississippi Learned More Than Just Investing)
by
Melissa Sloan in Texas
 Forty-five
participants (ages 4 to adult) took the three-week Dollar Dare
challenge in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and turned $45 dollars
into $2213 to buy shoes for orphans in India. That's
442 pairs of shoes. But they also received something
themselves--hands on experience learning priceless values
that can't be bought:
Enthusiasm, passion for a cause,
creativity, sacrifice, tangible connection to those in need,
global awareness, and experience in public speaking, investing,
organizing, promotion, writing, research, and philanthropy!
Scroll to the bottom to read about bare feet in church . . . and
how you can organize a DOLLAR DARE.
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Good Changes at the
Promised Land Location
from
J. Neva Lily Esther,
Dr Jay's daughter in Medical School
 Neva
Lily Esther, Dr Jay's daughter (left) in Medical
School, used her month-long holiday last month to assess the
children at the Promised Land location.
She wrote,
"I've been going to the Promised Land everyday as I am on
holidays. I had talks with the wardens, caretakers,
the new manager and the doctor at the Promised Land on how
to improve the living conditions of the children. Here
are a number of plans proposed for the betterment of the
children..."
VACCINATION
PLAN: All 1500 children will get vaccinations for
MMR, Hep B, and Typhoid from a local government health
organization: $10,500.00 already donated!
CLOTHING
PLAN: All children should have three sets of
dresses (they have one now), two sets of play clothes, and
two sets of school uniforms (need new ones). They will
alternate school uniforms each day, alternate play
clothes/night wear each evening, and wear their "colour
dress" clothes one on Saturday, one on Sunday, and one for
special occasions.
Need 2 new
dresses for each child: $13,953.00 (or $4.50/ea)
Need 2
uniforms for each small child: $6976.00 (or $6.00/ea)
Need 2
uniforms for each big child: $20,930.00 (or $11.50/ea)
CUPBOARD
PLAN: Make 88 cupboards (one in each room) to hang
clothes so that they don't get lost and can get handed down
as children grow: need $8,186.00
RACK PLAN:
Make 44 racks (one per room) to hold plates, cups,
notebooks, school books: need $3070.00
DHOBI PLAN:
(Dhobi = A person who washes the clothes):
About 6 Dhobi’s will be
appointed to wash the children’s clothes and they will be
paid separately as per total number of clothes.
CARETAKER PLAN:
At present the ratio of children to the care taker is 25:1.
As we get more caretakers to work at the Promised Land, the
ratio of children to care taker will be reduced to 20:1.
Dr Jay writes that the Lord has brought many good workers
this month that have been hired.
To see the many other plans which include VITAMINS, HORLICKS
(protein drink), NUTRITION, ROLL NUMBERS, CLOCKS, WATER
DRUMS, MIRRORS, UNDERWEAR, TOWELS, SLEEPING MATS (need 2 per
year), BLANKETS, PLATES, CUPS & BOWLS, visit the website at
www.icmcindia.org/sponsored
child needs.htm
(must be
logged onto the internet)
Neva also writes, "When your team from
America comes in June or July, they can see the changes that
are taking place in the living conditions of the children at
the Promised Land and I have spoken with the manager on how
to get all these plans done successfully. God cares."
FYI: Sponsorship funds cover about 900 of the 1500
children. Since the level of care is increasing, so do
expenses per child, so one-time gifts to cover these
expenses are necessary, as we also ask the Lord to send more
sponsors!
You could organize a DOLLAR DARE in your church, school, or
community and try to address one of these needs, or find a
sponsor...just send them to the website!
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Spiritual Milk and Meat
from
Basil Bright J., Dr Jay's
son, in India.
 "The
main objective of ICMC is not only to help the orphans in
their education - to study, live, and to eat without any
expenses, but also to help the orphans to know the real love
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I, Basil Bright
J. (left) am so pleased to do Children's and Youth
Ministry.
The
Children's Ministry consists of children from 1st grade
to 8th grade. These children will have Bible class and
singing class conducted through Vocational Bible School (VBS)
once weekly in all ICMC centers. A film based on the
Bible will also be shown to them once in a week.
The Youth
Ministry consists of children from 9th grade to 12th
grade. These youths will have a youth gathering once
in a week. They will also have a youth camp once in a
month and a special youth speaker will be invited to preach.
Those boys and girls who have an intimate relationship with
the Lord and are spiritually matured will be encouraged to
conduct VBS in Children's Ministry.
By God's grace
and mercy till today we are able to provide wholesome and
nutritious food for their physical growth and development
but what about their SOUL? We will also nourish them
spiritually too with the milk and meat from the Word of
God."
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Timothy Students Tell
Their Stories
from
Santosh, a Timothy student from the State of Orissa
 "Hallelujah!
Thanks be to God! I am from a non-Hindu family, but I still
didn’t know there was the one true God. Growing up, I
prayed many times, but I never read the Bible. In seventh
grade, I wrote my exams very well. I prayed, “I can’t do it
by myself. Lord I need help from you.” He put me with His
power and I wrote well and received the first mark in the
district.
One day a
preacher came from Mumbai and he was preaching. He told me,
“God is calling you to the mountains.” I said, “For what
purpose? What do you mean mountains?”
He said,
“Brother, you need to go to Bible College.”
Our family
only went to church one time and they tried to teach me but
they were not worshipping the Lord profoundly.
When I came
here to the Timothy School, I learned many things. I hear
new things here. The teachers are like my fathers. I have
a vision for the state of Orissa. Only 2 percent are
Christians in our state. I know that many outside villages,
they say, “You stand before me and I will kill you.” But I
say that whenever I stand in Your name, I stand before God."
Read more
stories from other Timothy students on the website at
www.icmcindia.org/trainer.htm
(must be
logged onto the internet)
PRAISE!
Spring of Life Christian Church in Mesa, Arizona is
sponsoring 30 of these young, future church planters to the
Timothy School! We're looking for more partnering US
churches!
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Did You Know?
 It
only costs $1 a day to train a future church planter at the
Timothy School? It is a 10-month, on-site, hands-on
training for young people interested in starting churches in
their villages. We are looking for other churches to
join Spring of Life Christian Church in Mesa, Arizona and other
churches in sponsoring the training for 200 students. We
have funding for 100 students for this year only. To have
pastor and pastor consultant, Dr Michael Tucker, of 21st Century
Ministries (21stcenturyministries.org) talk to your church
leaders about the Timothy School, please contact him at
michaeltuc@aol.com
It's The Real
Deal! (read more...)
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Sponsor a Child!
 Click
on
Sponsor a Child
and log on to provide a home, an education, and a place to learn
Christian values and ethics for an orphan, semi-orphaned or
abandoned child in India for $25/month. Questions
about sponsorships? Click on
Sponsor
FAQ.
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Sponsor
Question of the Month
How much of my
sponsorship gift gets to my child?100 percent. All of our minimal administrative
costs are funded by outside sources and individuals who designated
funding for that purpose. ICMC in India uses 100 percent of your
sponsorship funds for the care of the whole child – physically,
spiritually, and educationally.
If I
send extra funds to ICMC, where does it go?
Any undesignated
funds you send above your sponsorship amount feeds, clothes, houses
and educates all the other orphans who do not have a sponsor. It
improves the food, clothing, housing and education of all the
children, resulting in improvements for your sponsored child too.
If you designate your funds to a certain project (such as land
purchase, Poultry Farm, medical clinic) it will be used specifically
for that project.
If you are a
sponsor, and you didn't get a letter last month, please let us
know at jzahn@icmcindia.org
Other questions?
Visit the website!
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I DARE
You to Multiply Your Dollar!
(Continued from the top...)
(How Kids in
Mississippi Learned More Than Just Investing)
by
Melissa Sloan in Texas
WHAT IS THE
DOLLAR DARE?
 The
idea is based on the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14, in
which a man goes on a journey and in his absence, entrusts coins
or talents to his servants, “each according to his ability.” Two
of the servants multiply what the master gave them and hear him
say, “well done, good and faithful servant. You have been
faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many
things. Come and share your master’s happiness.”
We read this
parable to the children and explained how God gave each one of
them talents and abilities, and they are called, even at a young
age, to invest what He has given them and multiply it for His
kingdom. We gave each child one dollar and challenged them to be
creative and wise, using their unique ideas and abilities to
multiply that dollar for three weeks. We told them about the
orphan children in India and the need for the children to have
shoes, to protect them from disease and injury. Whatever they
made would be used to buy shoes for the children at ICMC.
HOW DID THEY DO
IT? CREATIVELY!
One family decided
to go barefoot to church (as an attention grabber) and set up a
large poster about ICMC, asking people to sponsor one pair of
shoes ($5). They raised over $600 in one Sunday. The mother of
this family told me that her children started talking about
everything in terms of how many shoes it would buy. This family
participated in other activities to multiply their dollars as
well, and she said that the mantra (even for their 5 year old)
around their house became, “It’s all about the shoes.”
Others organized
car washes, lemonade stands, bake sales, a basketball
tournament, a beyblade tournament, a pool party, did odd jobs,
cleaned houses, and played a violin concert.
One family with
four children put baked goods in a wagon and went to different
businesses along their small town main street. The children had
researched ICMC on the website and made their own flyers,
describing the ministry and the need for shoes. They took turns
doing a presentation at each business, so they got public
speaking experience, as well as significant donations! The
children were so impacted by what they learned about the
children at ICMC, they decided to pool their allowances to
sponsor a child.
MORE THAN JUST
A FUNDRAISER...MORE VALUES LEARNED
The wonderful
thing about this whole experience was seeing how much MORE it
did than just raise money. Some of the benefits were:
We saw
the kids’ enthusiasm, creativity and hard work as they did
things that were not easy, were time-consuming, sometimes
embarrassing, but chose to do it anyway. It was good to see them
sacrifice, as we are all called to do as followers of Christ.
We saw
the response of both friends and strangers as they watched the
children work and sacrifice. We had cars lined up to be washed
on a rainy day, because people were moved by children caring for
other children. It is a strong witness for Christ when we follow
His commandment, “As I have loved you, so you must love one
another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if
you love one another.”
It connected our children to
children around the world in a tangible way. It gave them a
chance to serve and experience the reward of giving to others in
need, rather than focusing on their own wants. It allowed them
to see that even at a young age, they can make a difference for
Christ.
It raised the awareness of
numerous people, to the suffering and lost in India. What a joy
to watch my 5 and 8 year old share about ICMC with neighbors and
strangers that stopped at their lemonade stand!
The kids that
participated are already planning for what they are going to do
next year and this will be an annual event for our community.
YOU CAN DO THE
DOLLAR DARE TOO!
 My
family and I have been involved in supporting ICMC for the last
five years and this last January, I was privileged to make a
trip to India and see the ministry first hand. Upon returning to
my home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, I felt a greater burden
than ever for the needy and the lost in India and around the
world. In seeking the Lord about ways to respond to the truths
that He has laid on my heart, through our support of ICMC, I
felt led to do a “Dollar Dare” with the families and
particularly the children of our church and homeschool community
here in Hattiesburg.
If you are
interested in doing a Dollar Dare event in your church, school
or community, please write Jeanne at
jzahn@icmcindia.org for
Dollar Dare flyers and instructions.
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Update
from Mrs Christy
“HOW EXCELLENT IS THY LOVING KINDNESS
OH GOD!”
PSALM 36:7
We are so thankful to God as His grace was
so abundant for all at ICMC during this
month of May. Basil Bright our youngest son
had an opportunity to attend a big Youth
Camp (which was conducted in English) at
Kodaikanal for the first four days of May.
It was very useful to him.
At Salem we had Vacation Bible School for
three days on 3,4 and 5.5.’06. Many children
attended this VBS and it was so fruitful for
all those who attended. Our little children
learned many songs at this VBS. At the
Promised Land too we had VBS for three days
(5,6 & 7.5.06). Mr. Panneer Selvam and
Bright took much interest in conducting the
same. Children learned many songs and Bible
verses during this VBS. On 8.5.’06 we had
our election and now we had a good
government which banished the
anti-conversion bill. We, Christians, are so
happy about that and we are so grateful to
our Lord.
Higher Secondary Course results
were published on 22.5.’06. Out of 22
students of the House of Peace who wrote
their +2 exams 11 got passed. The rest 11
failed in III part only. They will rewrite
these examinations on 26.06.’06. Please pray
for them.
Bright taught English to the +2
hostel students. They all got passed in
English. Because of His grace Bright passed
his +2 with first class marks 986/1200. Also
four House of Peace students got first class
marks. They secured 810, 812, 782 and 702.
Other seven got second class.
Those who did not go to their
native place during summer vacation were
taken to Anna Park on 10th of May
and to Mettur Dam on 17th of May.
Really these picnic spots were enjoyable.
New admission for the House of
Peace was started from the second week of
May ’06. Readmission was started from 26th
of May ’06.
Building work is going on at the
Promised Land. Repairing and painting were
done at all the three places. Many good
workers were recruited at ICMC during May.
We whole heartedly thank all our sponsors,
donors and prayer partners.
May
the dear Lord bless you all continually!
Yours in Him,
Mrs. J. Christy
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Set up an
automatic payment on the website now!
Use your
online bank's BillPay to automatically send a check to ICMC
each month!
NOTE to
existing sponsors: Children are being linked to you as I
write, but you may not see your children yet. We
have you linked to your child in ICMC's manual system.
ICMC Staff is almost done!
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What's
Happening for ICMC in the USA
EVENING IN
SEPTEMBER
 Save
the date! Saturday, September 23
at the Buttes Resort in Tempe, Arizona: dust off your ball
gowns for an entertaining Evening of elegance, interaction, and
auctions to benefit the children at ICMC.
Do you have a . .
.
Service
(maybe you're a wedding planner or prepare taxes or make custom
furniture)
Event
(like a timeshare vacation or sports or concert tickets)
Talent
(you're a fishing guide or a party clown or a piano teacher or a
Skydiving instructor)
. . . that you would like to give
to the event to auction, please contact Jeanne at
jzahn@icmcindia.org or 480.861.5630
LEMONADE FOR
JESUS!
from
Traci Stringfield in Texas
This is
5-year-old Madison Stringfield hosting her very first lemonade
stand at the park to raise money for the orphans in India.
Selling lemonade, treats and
water at the park, she made $39.99! She also donated the $1
that her other aunt gave her and we emptied our extra change
boxes to produce another $198.38. It is so fun to learn how
when we sacrifice luxuries, others can have basic necessities.
It’s also so fun to see her heart for these kids when she was my
baby that I took around with Dr Jay when he visited Dallas about
4 years ago".
Scroll down to see more about
the Mississippi DOLLAR DARE...
If you have an
event or trip to post for your state, church, school, or
organization, please contact Jeanne at
jzahn@icmcindia.org
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Short
Term Teams Plan Trips
June
8-22 2006:
Pray for Brad Milde, dental student from Arizona; and Aletta
Price, teacher from Mississippi, as they serve at ICMC screening
and fixing
children's teeth. They are there right now!
July 2006:
ICMC will welcome it's
International President, Nicholas Wainwright from the UK for a
board meeting and visit.
July
2006:
Steven and Melissa Hopkins,
teachers from Seattle, will join second-time visitor Robin
Martin, a school counselor, at ICMC for the month. They
may be helping with the vaccination project and spending some
time guest teaching in the classrooms.
August
4-14 2006:
Brendon
McCarthy from Ireland is bringing 45 teens and chaperones on a
short-term trip to ICMC. Trip Full.
November, 2006:
 John
Jackson plans to take a small team of pastors and business
leaders ready to investigate partnering with ICMC.
January 19-31, 2007:
Jeanne
Zahn plans on leading a vision trip for those
ready to see how they might be able to partner with ICMC in the
future. Praying specifically for a teaching pastor, a
multi-media professional (for Timothy School video), and those who are called to
come for some purpose I don't know about yet.
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What
do you Think?
Do you like this format of
getting information from ICMC? You will get it each month via email. Make sure to let us know email
changes as this saves on costs.
Let
us know your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or problems viewing
at
jzahn@icmcindia.org
jzahn@icmcindia.org
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Miss a
Newsletter?
Click here...
April 2006
March
2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
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Addresses
For sponsorship
checks:
ICMC
PO Box 530758
Henderson, Nevada 89053
For letters/cards
to children:
ICMC
Dr. S. Jayaraj Krishnan
(Your child's name)
House of Peace
Vasanthapuram,
Chinna Thirupathy PO
Salem - 636 008
Tamil Nadu India
It cost .95
cents in stamps and write "airmail" on the envelope.
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Set it
Up in Your Area
Are you a school, a church, a
rotary club, a mom with friends, a motivated sponsor?
We have rotarians, pastors,
business leaders, teachers, sponsors, and moms who are great
speakers, passionate about ICMC, and willing to speak to your
club, church, school assembly, or home dinner party.
The speakers are engaging and
will be experienced in your field or interest area. They
also have already been to India and ICMC and can speak
personally.
Contact Jeanne at
jzahn@icmcindia.org and
you will be linked to the right speaker in your area and field.
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